Day: 029Date: Monday, 22 May 2017Start: Camped by trail at Bouquet Canyon Road crossing at Mile 465.6, 3323 ftFinish: Boy Scout Trail Camp at Mile 489.9, 4532 ftDailyMiles: 24.3 PCT, 0.4 otherTotalPCTMiles: 489.9Weather: Hot and sunnyAccommodation: TentNutrition: Breakfast: Muesli Lunch: Gorp Dinner: Taco riceAches: Very tired and some chafingHighlight: Probably stopping at the end of a long hard day.Lowlight: Lost a crown from one of my teeth. As I was walking along it just came off. No pain, so I’m guessing the nerve has been removed. I’m just going to hope that it is OK as is for the rest of the trip.Pictures: Click here

I had a bad night’s sleep again, with fast traffic on a nearby road and lots of hikers passing by wearing headlamps. I’m guessing a lot left Agua Dulce at night to beat the heat. Although they weren’t shouting, they were talking and visiting the nearby water cache.

Despite feeling very tired, I made myself hit the trail by 6:30am and settled in for what I knew would be a hard day. It quickly got very warm and the trail just climbed and descended a series of nondescript mountajn ranges all day. They were mostly scrub covered, with views to the next range and occasionally the desert, and the trail was often visible many miles ahead as a line across the side of the next mountain. The grades were easy enough, but the heat made it tough and there was little shade. I just plugged away, taking a midday break at the Green Valley Fire Station, one of the few places where water could be found. About six hikers were just lying around under a shelter there, not wanting to emerge into the heat for the next section.

I kept to my schedule and reached the last place to get water, a trickle at the side of the trail about 4:30pm on my way up the last mountain for the day. I had had enough and after loading up four litres, hiked the last three uphill miles at a very slow pace, reaching a tiny scout camping area (just a broken down table and room for three tents) at 6pm.

I set up, washed, ate and got into my tent as quickly as I could, hoping for a better night’s sleep.